


Hello Sisters

by Mirrored_Illusions



Series: 2020 August Fic-A-Day [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Charmed (TV 1998)
Genre: 2020 August Fic-A-Day, Crossover, Episode: s02e22 All Hell Breaks Loose, F/M, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Past Angel/Buffy Summers, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s07e22 Chosen, Prue Halliwell Lives, Real Family, Timeline What Timeline, Twisting The Hellmouth Fic-a-Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirrored_Illusions/pseuds/Mirrored_Illusions
Summary: Buffy travels to San Francisco in the aftermath of the Battle of Sunnydale, to finally meet her half-sisters.
Relationships: Phoebe Halliwell/Cole Turner, Piper Halliwell/Leo Wyatt
Series: 2020 August Fic-A-Day [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860277
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19
Collections: TwistedShorts





	1. Buffy Meets the Halliwell's

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon and Charmed belongs to someone who definitely isn't yours truly. 
> 
> Written for Day 02 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day. 
> 
> The timelines don't add up, so just pretend that the Halliwelll's have been Charmed for five years instead of three, and then add a month.

After the Battle of Sunnydale, after they recuperated at the Hyperion in Los Angeles, and after Giles took most of the Mini-Slayers with him back to England, Buffy decided to try and locate either of her fathers. She'd known since she was very young that Hank Summers was her adoptive father, and when she had turned 13 her mother had sat her down and told her a little more about her biological father. This had included telling her about her half-sisters.

Her real father's name was Victor Bennett and he was originally from New York City but had moved to San Fransisco in the mid-'60s. He had married a woman named Patricia Halliwell in 1968 and they'd had their first child in late October in 1970. They'd had another daughter in 1973 and a third in 1975 before divorcing in 1977. He'd moved back to NYC two years later.

Over the years she'd had sporadic contact with Victor, but more often than not he'd flaked on their visitation. And as she'd gotten older he'd called her less and less. After Buffy had sacrificed herself to save Dawn and subsequently was dead for almost five months he'd stopped contacting her at all. Most likely believing she'd given up on him.

With everything going on, she'd let it go. Being resurrected in the way she had, and then everything that followed, he just wasn't a priority. But now she was free and able to do what she wanted. Sort of. Giles was trying to rebuild and improve the Council, Willow had gone to England with him to visit the Devon Coven, and Xander had taken Andrew to look for Potentials in Canada. Faith had accepted an unlimited credit card and taken off on a shiny new motorcycle to find Potentials-Turned-Slayers of her own.

There were no limits on the cards all of them had gotten, but Giles had warned them to take it easy and not waste it. Well, he'd used much more stuffy British words, but that's what he'd meant. They were all going to travel a lot in the foreseeable future so they wouldn't be able to carry around large amounts of whatever anyways. It put a downer on all of the new shoes she had imagined as soon as she realized what her former Watcher was handing out.

It did mean it would be much easier to replace anything that was inevitably ruined or entirely destroyed by vampires and whatnot that went bump in the night. That made her very happy. She was sure she could make extra room for a few more pairs of shoes if she made an effort, too.

She did splurge on a new laptop computer and spent a few days trying to locate her father. The internet told her he'd moved back to San Francisco five years earlier and she got upset. It was a six-seven hour drive from San Francisco to Sunnydale. Given how much he traveled for his job it was nothing in comparison.

Regardless, she tracked down his current address and went there. It had been almost two years since the last time she'd heard from him, and he had some explaining to do. Not that she was innocent, she could've picked up the phone as well. According to Dawn, he'd called a few times while she was in heaven but when he didn't get her on the line after three attempts he gave up and went silent.

He wasn't home. A nosy neighbor told her he was on a business trip but the man didn't know when he'd be back. A little frustrated she returned to her rental car and tried calling her biological father, but only got the answering machine. She left a message and then started the car. On impulse, she tried to call Hank Summers while the car idled. She had long since lost count of how many times she'd gotten the answering machine, but on the umpteenth attempt, she left a message. He couldn't ignore her forever.

An hour later she was outside 1329 Prescott Street and what turned out to be a very pink Victorian Manor. She smiled to herself, they had style. Steeling her nerves she opened the door and got out of the car. All of a sudden she felt a chill run down her spine and she immediately scanned the area for anything supernatural and evil, but there was nothing, just a normal street with old houses and well-kept gardens in front.

Not long after what looked like a small tornado appeared on the stairs and blew the doors open wide before moving smoothly inside. From inside the entrance hall of the home, Buffy heard two different women yell "Phoebe!" Shortly after there was the sound of two bodies being thrown on the ground.

As she ran up the stairs a male voice exclaimed, "Dear God!". It was followed right after by a woman shouting, "No!". Then she was inside, and just as the grey-skinned demon was about to use some kind of blue power on the man, two things happened at once. A short brunette pushed the doctor aside and Buffy kicked the grey-skinned, grey-clothed demon so his aim went wild.

To Buffy's right another, long-haired brunette got up off the floor, yelling "Prue!". There was no time for explanations as she kicked the demon again and followed it up with several punches. While she got her violence on, a third woman came running down the stairs with a piece of paper in her hand. The three sisters huddled together at the bottom of the stairs and began reading a spell from the paper out loud. 

"Evil winds that blows  
that which forms below  
no longer  
may you dwell  
death takes you  
with this spell."

When they were about half-way through, Buffy backed away from the demon with a final kick. Soon after it started glowing, and she shielded her eyes as it got even brighter. Even with her eyes closed and an arm over her eyes she saw the bright light wash over the entire room. Then her senses told her the demon had been vanquished.

Chaos followed. A man orbed in, took the man, a Dr. Griffiths, and orbed him back to the hospital where he worked. Then she was alone with the three women, all of whom were looking at her with a mixture of gratitude and suspicion.

"Um, hi?" She tried and gave a tentative smile. Post-kills with an audience were much simpler when she could attempt to give a bad excuse and then leave. But this time she wanted to talk to the people in question. At least the supernatural cat was out of the bag so she didn't have to try and ease into that topic. It wasn't even her fault this time.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The little research she'd done both before she arrived in San Fransisco and before that told her the woman was Prudence Halliwell, the elder of the three sisters.

"My name is Buffy Summers." She waited a moment as she looked closely at all three of them, but there was no recognition anywhere. Buffy's heart sank. "I came here to meet the three of you."

"Why?" The youngest of the three asked. "Do we know you?" And wasn't that the million-dollar question.

At the same time as Phoebe asked her second question, Piper asked one of her own. "Are you a witch?"

Buffy answered the second question first, as it was the easiest. "No, I'm not a witch." She hesitated for a couple of seconds. "Does any of you recognize me or my name?" All three of them gave negative replies.

"Maybe we should go somewhere more comfortable before I explain why I'm here. It'll take a while and you'll probably want to sit when you hear what I have to tell you."

There was some grumbling but Phoebe took the lead and left the room. Everyone else just followed.

They ended up in a cozy living room and everyone got comfortable. Phoebe went straight for a large armchair while he sisters sat down on a matching couch. That left the smallest armchair for Buffy.

"We're here, we're sitting down. Now talk."

"I'm here because Victor Bennett is my biological father and I've wanted to meet my half-sisters for years. We've never had much contact, but because of some... stuff, on my part, we lost contact completely two years ago." The three witches just stared at her without even trying to speak. "I assumed he'd told you about me since he occasionally spoke about the three of you, but I seem to be mistaken about that."

They were still peppering her with questions when a shower of blue and white orbs materialized beside the couch, right next to where Piper was sitting. The orbs quickly revealed a tall, blond man who glanced around the room before his eyes scrutinized her for a short time and then he looked at Piper.

"Dr. Griffiths is back at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. What did I miss?"

His eyes once again returned to Buffy, who gave him a small smile. "Oh you know, we were saved by  
our randomly appearing younger half-sister, and now we're getting to know each other." Piper quipped back.

The man blinked. Then he looked at his two known sisters-in-law, Buffy, his two sisters-in-law again, and then back to his wife. "What?"

Prue and Piper summarized what they'd been told so far, and then Prue turned back to Buffy. "Did we miss anything?"

"No, that's about it."

"You know about witches and demons, but you're not a witch yourself. You're a mortal?"

"We're all mortal," Buffy replied a little confused at the terminology.

"No," Phoebe interjected, "a mortal, or innocent, is someone without power or who we are here to protect."

"Ah," she nodded. "Then that's a negatory. I have power, it just isn't magical. I lived on the Hellmouth for seven years before it became a sinkhole if that explains it better."

The man nodded, but the sisters looked confused. "What's the Hellmouth?"

"Sunnydale was located on a literal portal to a hell dimension. I was sent there to guard it when I was 15. The collapse a month ago was us closing it for good."

Leo frowned a little, "But there are others, right?"

"Yes, but they're much smaller and not nearly as dangerous as the one in Sunnydale was. We have people guarding most of them now."

"If you're not a witch, then what are you?" Prue again.

"Officially my title is Vampire Slayer, but I kill demons and other evil things as well." Then she gave a short description of her abilities before asking about theirs. That segued right into why she'd been conscripted into the job, which got a little ugly but it was what it was and it wasn't going to change despite there being so many more of them now.

She could see they weren't entirely sold on her being their sister, but they were working on it. They'd had less than an hour to get used to the idea and then there was her Calling, but she had known for a decade.

"I'll go Up There and see if they can confirm it."

"Hurry, we don't have all day." Piper got up, "Actually, meet us at P3. I was supposed to be there half an hour ago."

"Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can." Then he disappeared in the same blue and white orbs he'd arrived in.

"That is a nifty way of traveling if a little showy." It would've been a dead giveaway if she moved like that while hunting vampires at night. It would've temporarily have blinded her while her eyes adjusted to the dark and given whoever was nearby a golden opportunity to kill her. It would've been very useful during the day though.

The rest of them got up and they agreed to meet up in a few days to talk some more. It would give them time to look her up and ask whoever they needed to ask if she was the real deal, including having a long overdue talk with their shared father.

They said their goodbyes and Buffy left in her rental car while the Halliwell's left in Piper's car.


	2. Spells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 05 0f the 2020 August Fic-A-Day. 
> 
> Copyrighted material still doesn't belong to yours truly.

Five days after finally meeting her older half-sisters with a bang, none of them had been able to get a hold of their shared father. With one thing and another they hadn't been able to meet up with each other either, Slayage and personal things suddenly demanded all of their attention. They'd managed a few phone conversations though.  
  
But Buffy was finally standing outside of 1329 Prescott Street again. This time she there was no demons to make any interruptions, so she was able to ring the doorbell like a normal person. Soon after she was greeted by Prue and invited to enter their home.  
  
"Don't verbally invite anyone inside. It allows vampires to come into your home without permission anytime they want."  
  
Prue gave her a confused look, "How are we supposed to greet people then? It's basic manners to say that."  
  
"I know. You can invite them in, just don't use those words or say yes if someone asks if they can come in. Move aside, open the door wider, or gesture for them to enter. You can even grab them and pull them inside, but if your guests are undead it won't be able to enter and you'll have your answer. I'm sure you have enough unwanted guests here, you don't want to add vampires to that."  
  
They met Phoebe in the entry hall, but rather than enter the living room again they went up two flights of stairs. As they ascended the stairs, Buffy recognized Piper's voice reciting a spell.  
  
" _Power of the witches rise  
Course unseen across the skies  
Come to us who call you near  
Come to us and settle here.  
Blood to blood, I summon thee  
Blood to blood, return to me._"  
  
She frowned. "Who are you trying to summon?"  
  
"No one." Phoebe gave her a confused look. "We just want to give you a little test. Why do you think we're trying to summon anyone?"  
  
Buffy gave her an amused smile. "Enhanced hearing, remember? I can hear Piper saying a spell up there and it sounds like she's trying to find someone."  
  
Both brunettes looked slightly confused and a little worried. Thankfully they were soon through the attic door. Once through the door, she was met by the sight of old furniture and the usual knick-knacks often found stored in attics and basements. Piper was sitting by a small table with a chalice and several smalls bowls and bottles on top. Right in front of her was a large open book. Next to the first table was a second one filled with small corked bottles.  
  
"Who are you trying to find?"  
  
"Yes, what Buffy asked. No one's missing, that we know of." Prue added.  
  
"No, but finding out about Buffy made me wonder if we have other sisters or relatives out there. Dad got around after he left Mom, and maybe before as well, so who knows who might be out there. This way we'll know soon if there are others."  
  
Uh oh, Buffy thought. That might cause Dawn to come to San Fransisco. That was a problem because she hadn't told her little sister that she was going to seek out family. She'd kind of implied she would travel across California and maybe try and get back in contact with Hank, but that was it. She'd also neglected to tell Prue, Piper, and Phoebe about her little sister...  
  
Trying for a distraction from her thoughts, she asked. "Do you really think Victor has any other children than us?"  
  
"No. Maybe. I don't know." Piper sounded a little frustrated. "He kept you hidden from us. He stayed away for two decades because he couldn't handle Grams being in charge. Who knows what he's hiding."  
  
When she put it that way, it made sense to try and get a little magical help to get the answers faster. It also meant making a confession of her own...  
  
"Umm. Ladies? About unknown relatives appearing out of nowhere..."  
  
All three sisters groaned, but Phoebe got her words out first. "You have a love child stashed away somewhere, don't you? A little girl." Her expression said the woman was only half-joking.   
  
Buffy choked and then began laughing. "No, no. I don't have any children." Well, that was kind of up for debate, but it wasn't what Phoebe was implying. Three sets of eyes dropped to her covered mid-section and Buffy tried not to roll her eyes like the teenager she hadn't been in years. "No, I'm not pregnant and I'm not trying to get pregnant either." She so wasn't ready for that, if it was even possible.   
  
"I have a younger sister, a younger full sister, that Victor doesn't know is his." She looked away for a moment. "It's complicated. The magical kind of complicated, and not my story to tell. So, please, don't ask."  
  
Prue studied her closely. "I did a background check on you, and both you and your sister are listed as the daughters of Henry Summers. There are no adoption records because I checked."  
  
"I know. Mom and Hank were engaged, split up for a couple of months, Mom 'dated' Victor for a few weeks, split from Victor, then got back with Hank, and they got married. They both assumed I was his. I don't know why, but Hank demanded a DNA test when I was three."  
  
"Okay," Piper interrupted, "We're up here for a reason, let's get to that and then we can get back to this discussion during dinner." Everyone agreed, except for Buffy who gave all of them a questioning look.  
  
"Why are we up here, aside from this is where Piper was hiding?"  
  
"Come here," replied Phoebe. She had taken the large green book from the table and placed it on one of those free-standing display stands. "Put your hands on the book."  
  
A little nonplussed she walked over and did as she was told. All three of the Halliwell's were keeping a close eye on both her and the book. It was definitely magical, she had felt it before she even laid eyes on it. This close it was thrumming with it and it intensified when she laid both hands on it. It caused an odd, but not unpleasant feeling.  
  
Looking up, she asked. "OK, now what?"  
  
"Now we go down and eat the wonderful dinner Piper prepared for us," Prue replied with a smile.  
  
Still confused, Buffy removed her hands from the old spellbook and walked back to her sisters. "Why did you want me to do that?"   
  
"We were just checking if the Book considers you to be evil or not. It's kinda important to us, but you passed so now we can eat." Phoebe said it in a flippant way as she grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the stairs, but Buffy got the impression they were all relieved. She thought about asking what the book would've done if she was evil or an impostor but decided against it. A homecooked meal by a professional chef sounded much better, and there was time for more questions later.


	3. Talk To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & Charmed: S04.  
> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and Charmed belongs to rich people with expensive lawyers.  
> Author's Note: Written for Day 06 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.  
> A/N: Meh. Still hand-waving on the timelines.

"What do you mean, you want me to come with you to San Fransisco because 'our sisters want to meet me'?" Dawn stared wide-eyed at her with incredulity and confusion. "We don't have any sisters, it's just us."  
  
Buffy blinked her own hazel eyes. "Our sisters. Well, half-sisters. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell." A sinking feeling came over her, "Mom, did tell you about them, and our biological father?"   
  
" _NO!_ She didn't! And neither have you! Why am I only hearing about this now?"  
  
"I thought you knew and just didn't care, or didn't want to talk about them. You were always so focused on Dad, I assumed you didn't care about the real one."  
  
Dawn pointed her toward the couch in their hotel room in Spain, where they had been spending the last two weeks. It was supposed to be a month-long vacation for the two of them in an attempt for them to work out what happened in that last year in Sunnydale. It had been Giles' idea, but Willow had made it happen by ordering plane tickets and making reservations at a hotel online.  
  
"Sit." Buffy sat down obediently and her little sister joined her. "Now, start at the beginning. Who is our biological father, what's his name? Who are these sisters, when did you find out about any other them." She drew a quick breath, "Why didn't I know? Does Dad," then she corrected herself, "Does Hank know?"  
  
"Woah, calm down, Dawnie. We have time." Dawn gave her a silent look that spoke volumes.  
  
"His name is Victor Bennett, and he's originally from New York City. According to my quick research he moved to San Fransisco in the mid-60s and married a woman named Patricia Halliwell a few years later. They had three daughters in the 70s before divorcing. Their names are Prudence, Piper, and Phoebe."  
  
"Someone likes the letter 'P'," Dawn commented. Buffy ignored her as she had made a similar comment herself.  
  
"They divorced in 1977 and Patty was killed by a demon in 1978. Their daughters were raised by their maternal grandmother because of some conflict between her and Victor. Don't ask about the details, I don't know."  
  
Dawn sat up straighter. "She was killed by a demon? Are they Potentials or werewolves or demons or something?" Then a thought occurred to her, "They aren't members of the Old Council?"  
  
"The Halliwell's come from a long line of witches, and yes, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are witches, too. They told me about being prophesized as a trio of witches known as The Charmed Ones. They're a powerful force of good."  
  
She gave her sister a wry smile, "They are not members of the Council, old or new. But they have their own yearly apocalypse to stop."  
  
"Stopping apocalypses is all the rage now."  
  
Buffy lifted an eyebrow, "Now you sound like Angel when I told him Spike had a soul, too."  
  
"Do not!"  
  
"Do too!"  
  
"Do not!"  
  
"Do too. And they've been doing it for the last five years, so they're not that far behind."  
  
"Whatever. How did Victor, dad." She frowned, "How do we separate the two?"  
  
"Victor has always just been Victor to me. He's never been much of a dad, and when Mom told me about him Dad was doing the dad thing so it felt natural to just use Victor's first name."   
  
"Right. How did Victor and Mom meet?"   
  
Buffy thought about it, her mom hadn't been that specific. "A park, I think. Mom had broken her engagement with Dad and was living it up, sorta. They met, dated casually for a few weeks, and then Dad convinced her to give him another try. By that point, she was already pregnant with me."   
  
"Soon after they got married, and Mom discovered she was pregnant with me. They both thought I was Hank's, a result of their return to couple-dom, probably."   
  
Dawn scrunched up her face. "Ewww! TMI!" Buffy laughed, but she'd rather not have that mental image either.  
  
"When I was three, Dad demanded a DNA test. Mom would never telly me why, but I got the impression she might have cheated on him right before the wedding."  
  
Dawn raised both eyebrows. "Mom finally threw Dad out for good because of all his cheating, and she was the one who started it?"  
  
"From eavesdropping on the adults when I was younger, it was obvious Dad was never faithful. Mom only pretended he was a good husband to her because she cared about the status he gave her. Between growing up and realizing she had become an alcoholic she finally decided it was time to start over without him. That's when she filed for divorce."   
  
She could see her little sister filing the information away for another day before moving on. "When did they tell you about Victor?"  
  
"Mom told me when I was five, and then she told him a year later. I didn't understand properly, but he came around once or twice a month and he gave me presents and money. So, I didn't mind."   
  
"You're such a material girl." Then she switched topics. "Tell me about the sisters. How old are they? What are their occupations?"  
  
"Prue is 30'ish and recently started working as a photojournalist for 415 Magazine in San Fransisco. Before that, she worked for an auction house so she would probably get along well with Giles. Piper is in her late twenties and owns a nightclub called P3, but admitted she was hoping to own a restaurant someday. Phoebe is in her mid-twenties and studying for a B.A. in Psychology."  
  
"It sounds like they have very different personalities because their jobs are all over." Then she reviewed what Buffy had told her, "Phoebe is studying Psychology?" She nodded. "That must've given you two something to talk about since that's what you were studying before, you know." The last part was said a little awkwardly.  
  
"Before I died for you and the world. Yes." She forcefully put those memories back into its box and locked it. "And yes, Phoebe and I found some common ground. Even more so when she told me she's dating a demon named Cole."  
  
Dawn put her face in her hands, "You two should get along great then." She sobered up again. "Just don't go and get groiny with Angel again, and we'll call it even."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't." A short time of pleasure wasn't worth having to deal with Angelus again.  
  
"So, do you want to come to San Fransisco with me to meet them? You can ask all your questions to them directly and probably get better answers." She wheedled a little.   
  
"Of course! Maybe they know something about the Slayer Creation Myth or have some books I can borrow..." And then she was off in her little world.  
  
It hadn't gone according to plan, but Dawn seemed to be rolling with the figurative punches so she called it a win. Then she went over to her laptop to order tickets for their flight back to the States. Only time would tell if this was a good idea or not.  
  
When the tickets were confirmed she told Dawn and then made agreements for their departure. Then she texted Phoebe to tell her the plan and when they would be in San Fransisco. They would fly out the next night, so there was one day left of shopping and she was going to enjoy it.


	4. Our Sisters' Sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & Charmed: S04.  
> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and Charmed belongs to Spelling Entertainment.  
> Author's Note: Written for Day 11 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.  
> A/N: Fact-checking on a deadline doesn't work very well, especially when I have to separate the information from the comics.

They ended up being rerouted to New York City for a demonic emergency before they even reached the airport in Spain, which postponed their meeting with the Halliwell's for another week. Willow changed the tickets while Giles spoke to Buffy on the phone.  
  
Six weeks after she had seen them last, Buffy was finally back on the front steps of 1329 Prescott Street. Phoebe greeted them at the door and showed them into the parlor, where her other two sisters were waiting along with another woman who appeared to be between Buffy and Phoebe's ages. Buffy's senses told her the stranger was a witch.  
  
Leaving the Hellmouth had made her senses stronger, or maybe it was the Slayer Essense the Shadow Men had forced into her, she didn't know. Whatever the reason, she was finally able to sense demons and magic like both Merrick and Giles had told her she should be able to do. It had taken some time to get used to it and to be able to 'manage' the additional input from everyone around her.  
  
A basic greeting and Prue jumped into it. "This is Paige Matthews, she's our, I mean Piper, Phoebe, and I's, half-sister on mom's side."  
  
Buffy was stunned for a few seconds before she smiled. "Hello, Paige. I'm Buffy Summers and this is my little sister, Dawn. We're their," and she pointed at the three Halliwell's, "half-sisters on their father's side."  
  
"Yes, hi everyone!" Dawn chimed in when Paige kind of just stared at them and half-mumbled a greeting. She didn't seem to have been forewarned at all. "I was expecting to meet three new sisters today, not three sisters and my new sisters' new sister, but hi!" She smiled brightly at everyone.  
  
It broke the ice and soon they were talking. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe introduced themselves, and not long after they were all seated at the dinner table in the dining room. Like last time, the food was made by Piper and it was delicious. Having a sister who was a cook was great, especially if she kept feeding her since Buffy and the kitchen was still un-mixy things.  
  
Leo and the much-talked-about Cole were both absent from the meal. That reminded her, "What did the Elders tell Leo about me and Slayers?"  
  
"Not much. They didn't know about you, and I guess they didn't know about Dawn either. Leo got the impression they didn't care about dad so they didn't keep an eye on him at all."  
  
"The PTB never cares about anyone who isn't of importance to them and what they want to achieve," Dawn added only a little bitterly.  
  
"PTB? Paige asked curiously.  
  
"The Powers That Be. In your case it's the Elders, in ours, it's literal Powers from around the time of the creation of the Earth dimension, or something like that." Buffy might be a little off, but it was the gist of it. "They're always more concerned about the big picture than whoever they have to sacrifice to get what they want."  
  
The Charmed Ones agreed, even if they did admit that the Elders did give them useful information at times.  
  
"What about Slayers," Dawn interrupted. "Did the Elders say anything about them or Potentials, or what we did in Sunnydale?"  
  
All three of the Halliwell's got a little uncomfortable, but Prue spoke up. "Leo seemed to think they don't like or approve of Slayers at all. He said they all but called you demons on a leash."   
  
"Demons on a leash?!" Buffy exclaimed, insulted. "I'm not a demon, leashed, or not. And neither is Faith or any of the others."  
  
Beside her, Dawn added in a low voice, "Faith could've used a leash sometimes." Buffy gave her a brief glare but no one else seemed to have heard her.  
  
"Easy, tiger. It isn't our opinion, and their opinion isn't popular around here so don't go biting our heads off."  
  
Buffy gave Piper an apologetic look, "Sorry." It wasn't their fault. "Go on."  
  
"Aside from that they just said the same thing you did, just with fewer details. A teenage girl is Chosen to fight vampires and demons, she lives a short, brutal life, and when she dies another girl is Chosen to take her place. A mortal, usually without powers, is her Watcher and helps her with research and training."  
  
Buffy nodded, it summed it up without any of the gory details. "And Sunnydale?  
  
The three of them looked at each other, seemingly having a non-verbal discussion the rest of them were not privy to. "They refused to answer any questions about Sunnydale." Prue eventually said.  
  
"When Leo returned, he said they refused to explain or even make a comment about it. They did warn him not to ever go there, and to stay away from all Slayers."  
  
"Including you." Phoebe elaborated. "That's why he isn't here. He orbed out when the doorbell rang."  
  
"That doesn't make any sense. Did they tell you to stay away from me as well?"  
  
"No, but judging from Leo's expression they probably recommended it."  
  
"Great, some old bossy people in the sky don't like me and I haven't even met them." Buffy sulked a little, but it wasn't like it was news that they Higher Ups didn't approve of her or her methods.  
  
"Wait," Paige interjected. "If Whitelighters are not supposed to have contact with Slayers, then why didn't anyone tell me?"  
  
"You're a witch, not a Whitelighter, so how does that pertain to you?" Dawn asked confused.  
  
"But I am a Whitelighter or a Witchlighter or whatever. My biological mother was a witch, but my biological father was a Whitelighter, so I'm half-and-half."  
  
That got the attention of the Summers' sisters. "You have powers from both?"  
  
"Yes, I can do the usual magic witches do, but I can also orb. There are some hybrid powers as well."  
  
From there it moved on to who had which powers, what they could do with them, and what they couldn't. It turned into a lively conversation that lasted through the clean-up. Afterward, the moved into the conservatory to continue their visit.  
  
"Paige moved in two weeks ago, would you two like to live here as well?" The invitation came from Prue, but both Piper and Phoebe looked expectantly at them, clearly hoping for a positive reply. Buffy and Dawn just looked at each other.  
  
"It's up to you, you have one more year of high school. Do you want to do it here, in Cleveland, or England?"  
  
Dawn looked contemplative, "Uh... Can I have a few days to think about it? And do some research?"  
  
The Halliwell's smiled at her, "Of course, take your time. Just remember that we get randomly appearing demons here, and they keep breaking stuff." Then Prue looked over to Buffy, "We'll need some rent if you choose to stay here, the repair can get a little expensive at times and there's only so much Leo can do about it."  
  
If only she had thought that far ahead when she allowed Willow and Tara to move into her home in Sunnydale, it would've been extremely helpful with the economic part of it.  
  
"Wait," Dawn sat up straight. "How would that work with Leo not being allowed around Buffy? Should he just orb into Piper's bedroom at night and fix the house while Buffy's out?"  
  
No one had a good answer to that, but they would need to find one. Because right at that moment the options were ridiculous.


	5. Agreement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & Charmed: S04.  
> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and Charmed belongs to Spelling Entertainment.  
> Author's Note: Written for Day 21 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.  
> A/N: I tried to do some research on Halliwell Manor, but there seems to be some disagreements/uncertainty in regards to the number of rooms on the second floor, so I used a creative license and added a few rooms that probably wouldn't fit in the real house. Mainly because I doubt any of them would want to double up.

It had been three weeks since the Halliwell sisters had invited the two Summers sisters to move in with them, at least temporarily. After some research done by both Buffy and Dawn, they had accepted. Prue and Buffy had agreed on how much rent they should pay, which wasn't as difficult as it could've been since Buffy had an unlimited credit card thanks to the Defender's Council.  
  
Furniture and other necessary things were bought for their rooms, and they moved in. As almost everything they had owned was at the bottom of the newly-made Sunnydale Lake it meant it was all new, except for a few things they had managed to pack into a car and leave outside the city limits, just in case, before the big battle.  
  
Thankfully, they had included all important paperwork in that, and it made sure they got everything they lost on their insurances. Getting to that money would take time though, so they would be living on the Council's dollars for the foreseeable future.  
  
Still, six women ranging in age from late teens to early 30's living together wasn't going to be easy, but at least they were all going to be occupied with either work, school, or both. Otherwise, that would've turned bad, fast. It was one of the major problems with so many people living in the Summers residence towards the end; everyone was always there. No school, no work, just a lot of people squished together waiting to be attacked.  
  
To Buffy's minor horror, her little sister ended up bonding with Piper over their love of cooking and experimenting with it. The result was mostly great food but also some strange dishes. It was harmless enough, and she trusted Piper to keep Dawn's evaluation of which foods went together and which didn't under control. Or at the very least give them a warning before they consumed it.  
  
While Buffy herself initially became closer to Phoebe she soon found herself getting along much better with her eldest sister, Prue. They were both natural leaders and they had both more or less raised their younger sisters. It gave them something to build their relationship on.  
  
When fall arrived Buffy enrolled Dawn at the nearest high school while she enrolled herself at the local college. She also agreed to take lessons in bartending so she could help out at P3 when she wasn't busy with anything else. Continuing college and getting to know her sisters didn't stop the Defender's Council from wanting her to deal with certain situations.  
  
"We need another bathroom or this isn't going to work." Dawn verbalized what everyone else had been thinking for the last few weeks, and then complained about the lack of more space. There was a toilet on the first floor, but all of them wanted showers and time in front of the mirror.  
  
"She's right," Paige agreed. "Either we get another bathroom or someone is going to get homicidal on the rest of us, and that's just... bad."  
  
Buffy had been thinking about this problem since they moved in and she might have a solution if Prue agreed. She looked over at Prue, whom she knew took care of the money issues related to the Manor. "If I use Council money to pay for a second bathroom upstairs, will you sign off on it? Because they're right, we went through this in Sunnydale and it was really, really bad. I don't want to repeat that situation here if I can do something to avoid it."  
  
A chorus of "Please, please, please!" rose immediately from Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Dawn.  
  
"Where would we place it? We're already using the maximum space with six bedrooms up there, all that's left are two tiny rooms used for storage space."  
  
"Oh, oh!" Dawn piped up excitedly. "We can call Xander and get him to do it. He can tear down the wall between the storage rooms and make a bathroom for us, even if it's a tiny one with barely enough space for a toilet, a sink, and a shower."  
  
Five sets of eyes were suddenly looking at Prue with hope. "Xander knows how to fix stuff. He fixed all kinds of things in my house after demons destroyed it. We just need to hire a plumber, and then the Council will pick up the bill." Buffy added in the defense of her sort-of estranged friend.  
  
"And Leo can help, too," Piper added helpfully. "He worked as a handyman for us before Phoebe caught him hovering to change a light fixture."   
  
Buffy, Dawn, and Paige all smiled at that. Paige responded, "That was an effective way to get in the door and for all of you to easily trust him."  
  
"It was," Piper replied. "He didn't manage to keep that cover for long though. Sneaky little sister busted him."  
  
"Hey, I wasn't sneaking around!" Phoebe defended herself, then she changed the subject. "We should've added a bathroom many years ago, but we couldn't afford it."   
  
"We can afford it now, all Prue have to do is sign off on the paperwork and we can be ready twice as fast in the morning!" Paige added her two cents to the debate.  
  
"And no more waiting in line to pee! Well, it'll be a shorter line."  
  
"Okay, okay. Stop looking at me like a group of puppies hoping for a snack. I agree an extra bathroom sounds heavenly."  
  
Instant celebrations erupted and Buffy went in search of her cell phone so she could call her Xander-shaped friend and ask if he wanted to be her and her sisters' hero and make them a new bathroom. With any luck, he'd be both willing and able to get to them soon.


	6. Downstairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and Charmed belongs to Spelling Entertainment.  
> Author's Note: Written for Day 22 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.
> 
> A/N: I'm just going to keep using my creative license in regards to the number of rooms in Halliwell Manor, although this time it's about what is or isn't located in the basement.

Buffy's attempt to call Xander just connected her to his answering machine. It wasn't the kind of question you left in a voicemail so she hung up. She was about to start typing up a text message when she realized that wasn't the right way either. Then a thought hit her.  
  
"Hey." The others were busy talking among themselves and didn't pay her any attention as they expected her to be busy with her conversation for a while. She had to repeat herself several times at an increasingly higher volume before she got their attention again.  
  
"What if we use this opportunity to make some more space?"  
  
The question was met with humor and mild incredulity. "And where are you going to conjure that space from? This bathroom is going to be teeny tiny and it's the only space left up there." Piper was the voice of reason, but there were other floors than that one.  
  
"I know that, but this house has three floors plus the basement."  
  
Prue interrupted her before she got any further. "There's no room for anything else on the first floor and we can't add anything to the attic, it would just risk being destroyed the next time a demon shimmers in and tries to kill us."  
  
"I know that, too. But there's room in the basement. Right now, all that's down there is Phoebe's make-shift gym, Prue's darkroom, and a lot of old furniture and junk. We could add another bathroom there so when Phoebe and I practice and need a shower afterward we won't monopolize the other ones. We could also add office space, and maybe a guest room or two.  
  
"Those are some lofty ambitions you've got there..." Prue was looking at her with something she couldn't quite decipher.  
  
"But it is a good idea," Phoebe interjected. "Even if you ignore the wonderful idea of a bathroom down there, we should use the extra space. There are so many of us now, so we need to spread out a little."  
  
Piper had been quiet for some time but suddenly decided to speak up. "What if we wait with the additional plans until Leo and this Xander person gets here and can evaluate what is possible before we run off making all kinds of plans?"  
  
Both Phoebe and Buffy grumbled a little, but Buffy lifted her phone again and made a new attempt to contact her old high school friend. To her slight surprise, he picked up this time. A short conversation and he agreed to come but informed her she would have to wait for at least a week as he was busy with another project and needed to finish that first.  
  
As she ended the call she turned back to her sisters, "Good news!" She smiled happily. "Xander agreed to come and take a look, and if it's possible he'll make the changes we want."  
  
More celebrations were had, but then Prue brought it all down. "Why don't we go down to the basement and do a walk-around and see if what we want to be done is possible. We might have to settle for a couple of bathrooms and be happy with that."  
  
It was unlikely. Buffy had been down there a lot to practice, teach Phoebe, and to get the other three started on a schedule of their own. The basement ran under the entire house, so using a few extra rooms down there shouldn't be a problem. They just needed to be smart about how they stored everything down there without compromising the space or somehow damaging the antiques. Several generations of Halliwell's had managed to accumulate a lot of furniture and other stuff over the decades.  
  
She didn't know why Phoebe had chosen to place her home gym right next to where the stairs were, but she had. There were protective mats attached to the walls from about knee-height and thicker ones in the corners so there was little chance of real injury. An array of different weapons were aligned on the wall behind the stairs. Buffy had happily added a selection of her own. A higher ceiling would've been preferable, but she would make do with what she had.  
  
They trooped down the stairs from the kitchen and took a left through the first archway. It led to a smaller room full of boxes in various sizes. Including what she was told to be the Christmas decorations. A walk around the other rooms revealed tables, chairs, wardrobes, and other large furniture, plus even more boxes.  
  
When they returned to the stairs again, Dawn commented. "That's going to take days to sort through, and Buffy, Paige, and I don't even know what you want to keep and what's ready to be thrown out."  
  
"How about this, we" Phoebe indicated herself, Prue, and Piper, "go through everything and throw out whatever we're not keeping. Then Buffy can burn off some of her excess energy by moving the heavy stuff into the rooms we've decided to keep using as storage, and if anyone wants to use any of the furniture we can move it wherever."  
  
"Can I call dibs on the wide ornate wardrobe with the mirrors from about 1910'ish?" Paige gave the three Halliwell's a hopeful look. She had fallen head over heels for it as soon as she'd laid eyes on it while they toured the basement.  
  
"That won't be easy to get up two flights of stairs, even with a Slayer on hand," Piper said.  
  
"Hello? Part Whitelighter here! I can just orb it up. Duh."  
  
"Right," Prue said into the laughter. "Paige can have the wardrobe as long as she can get it up to her room." She looked at everyone else. "Did anyone else see anything you'd like?"  
  
A discussion broke out and continued for a good ten minutes before Buffy broke into the hubbub. "The landline is ringing upstairs." Phoebe ran up to get it while the rest of them followed more leisurely. It turned out to be one of the employees at P3 and Piper was late for her shift at the bar. They had spent more time than expected just getting an overview of everything, and that didn't bode well for the upcoming reorganizing they would have to do.  
  
Not long after Piper was out the door and on the way to her club.  
  
Prue left at the same time as she had a late meeting at 415 Magazine and wanted a little extra time to prepare.  
  
Phoebe went upstairs to get ready for a date with Cole. Which left Buffy, Dawn, and Paige in the sitting room.  
"I think I'm going to change into some other clothes and then go downstairs and exercise for an hour or two. There are very few vamps and demons of my kind here, so I need to do something to get it out of my system."  
  
"Have fun!" her little sister replied, only using mild sarcasm. Then she turned to Paige, "Want to play Scrabble?"  
  
Buffy smiled as she went upstairs. They would be fine. Adding more room for them to use would help though. A quick sprint upstairs, a change, and then down two flights of stairs and she was ready to get to work.  
  
She started easily with a few stretches to get her muscles warmed up, then she continued with Tai Chi. The area was a little small and she was going to put in a good word to move their home gym to one of the bigger rooms once they had gotten them cleared. If she was outvoted then the back garden was an option, at least for Tai Chi and similar exercises when the weather permitted it. As long as she didn't do anything that could be seen as impossible or unlikely for someone her size, she should be fine. Wouldn't want the neighbors to start talking about them more than they already did.  
  
When she found her inner calm, she picked up one of her favorite swords and began doing a series of katas. Emptying her mind, she concentrated solely on her body and its movements. It didn't take long for her to be entirely absorbed in her work.


	7. A Little Vampire Show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Written for Day 29 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.

A week after agreeing to clear the basement so they could use it for something other than storage, they had managed to place most of the furniture in one room and the rest plus a lot of assorted boxes in another. When they began looking it through it became obvious it had just been moved downstairs and then placed wherever there was space for it. No one seemed to have thought too much about it, other than to move it away from the main parts of the Manor.  
  
The Halliwell sisters had gone through everything first and then made two piles for the junk they were going to throw away and a second pile for the things they were going to give away. A lot of the furniture could be placed on top of each other with something in between so nothing was damaged. It freed up most of the rooms down there.  
  
After Leo and Xander had taken a good look at the floor, walls, and anything else they deemed necessary they decided it was possible to move some of the walls. More specifically, it was possible to move the walls so Buffy and Phoebe could get a larger gym space underneath the Conservatory. It also got an adjacent bathroom with a toilet, a shower, and basic accommodation for bathroom stuff.  
  
Prue's darkroom was moved to beneath the Foyer. The rooms under the kitchen and dining room were used for storage as they were mainly out of the way. They made three small bedrooms under the Parlor and conveniently moved a few of the old wardrobes in there along with some other furniture, which was mainly moved by Buffy. It left the room beyond the archways as a shared office/computer room.  
  
Once everything was done, Buffy decided to use some of her Council money and splurged on a couple of stationary computers for the Office, and a personal laptop for herself. She also bought some more modern desktops to place them on along with a few comfortable chairs, and some shelving. The intent was for her, Phoebe, and Dawn to use for their schoolwork, but also for any business-related things any of them might need it for. That way they could leave their stuff spread out and not worry about it messing up for anyone else.  
  
Xander had chosen to start with the guest rooms as he was informed early that he would have to sleep on one of the coaches as there were no available bedrooms. All of them grumbled a little as they had been looking forward to getting another bathroom upstairs, but none of them objected. He was taking time out to do this for them, the least they could do was abide by his decision to create better sleeping arrangements for himself without anyone accidentally walking in on him.  
  
While Buffy's Sunnydale friend was busy with home improvements, Paige decided to surprise her sisters' sister.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Mmm?" the Slayer replied distractedly. Her mind was on something she could add to the gym, or if it was even necessary or if she was just looking to add something because she could.  
  
"A word in private?" That got her attention.  
  
"Sure. Lead the way." They ended up outside in the garden while the men were in the basement, Prue was checking in on their progress, Piper was at P3, Dawn was in her room, and Phoebe was out with Cole somewhere.  
  
"Are we doing something super-secret?" Buffy asked, only half-joking because half the things they did fell under that category.  
  
"No," Paige gave her a look, then continued. "So, you've been talking about how you slay vampires and a different kind of demons than we do. And I was wondering if I could see you fight vampires?"  
  
The brunette looked a little nervous, but she was new to all of this. "Demons attacking the Manor, you, and the others not enough excitement for you?" Buffy couldn't help but tease.  
  
"It is, but I'm curious. And I want to know if the sister I should call is the Halliwell's or you or Dawn, or someone else entirely."  
  
"No calling Dawn for any demony stuff unless its to help you research, she's good at that part."  
  
Paige nodded, "Duly noted; don't take the teenager to help in a vanquish." She changed tactics, "So I know you said, San Francisco doesn't have your kind of undead, but I thought I could orb us somewhere and you can find some. Right?"  
  
"Right..." Buffy said slowly.  
  
"So, everyone is busy and we could just orb out now and you could show me, and then we go back here. If it works then I could just orb you somewhere and you could get your violence therapy and not need to be so careful with us when we train and I'm babbling aren't I?"  
  
Buffy smiled a genuine smile, "You would do that? Orb me to random vampire infested places just so I can kill them, but you can't interfere?"  
  
"Yes!" Then she grimaced a little. "Well, not all the time but once or twice a week or something. I'm sure we can work something out."  
  
"That's with the greatness! I'll tell the others we'll be out for a few hours and then I'll meet you back here."  
  
They went inside, but while Paige sat in a chair in the Conservator, Buffy went in search of the other occupants of the house. Cheating a little by using Slayer speed it didn't take long for her to return. Paige took her arm and soon they vanished among blue and white lights.  
  
When Buffy's eyes adjusted to the darkness it became obvious they were in a cemetery. More specifically, they were in one of the larger ones in LA. It was a notorious hangout for younger vampires who thought it was 'cool'.  
  
The Slayer told the witch with her to remain quiet and they began a casual stroll down one of the pathways. Her senses tingled and she knew there was a small group of vampires nearby, five maybe six of them. Less than five years dead and in all likelihood easy pray. But that was okay.  
  
It didn't take long for the undead citizens to flank them in the dark, attempting to hide behind the larger tombstones. Paige was oblivious and keep looking around. Occasionally she would read a name aloud, wondering about the strange things some people named their children. Buffy played along while waiting for the vampires to attack.  
  
All of a sudden the two closest to them tried to grab them, but Buffy slid the stake out of her sleeve and staked it within seconds and then she engaged the other in a little show and tell before she staked that one as well. The remaining four were stupid, as they conveniently waited their turn as she spent a few minutes fighting each of them so her companion could see what it was all about.  
  
Rather than stake the last one however, she caught it and forced him to his knees. When he was down she forced his face up. "This is a minion vamp, as you just witnessed; they're not very smart. They employ the fight one-on-one technique and don't seem to grasp that attacking all at once it much more effective."  
  
She turned his head so it was more visible. "This is a vampire's grrr face. Most of the time they look like normal humans unless they're stuck in whatever year they died, then their fashion sense is horrible."  
  
"Are their eyes always yelling when they're like this?" Paige asked curiously.  
  
"Yes, it's something else that makes them easily recognizable. The sharp teeth and fangs are clues, too."  
  
Paige laughed a little at her predictable humor. "I would've asked you if you'd want to stake him, but I don't want to risk your or Leo's ability to keep in contact with me."  
  
"That rule is stupid. We're family, sort of. Family's family, whatever. But you're family to Leo, he's your brother in law! You should be allowed to talk to him if you want to."  
  
"I know, but you know the Elder's put restrictions on it when they realized I can't avoid either of you since we live in the same house. No slaying or vanquishing of each other's prey."  
  
"Okay, since I can't do it, show me how it goes poof again."  
  
Buffy obliged and the confused vamp turned to dust and then disappeared.  
  
Orbing around to Slay vamps could work in the short term, but sooner or later she would have to move somewhere with a high concentration of undead. But for now, there were home improvements to be done, a new floor to take advantage of, and family to get to know. The future would get there soon enough.


End file.
